Apollo, NBT collaborate for immersive work across Harlem
The Apollo and the National Black Theatre (NBT) recently began a two-week long presentation of "The Divining: Ceremonies from in the name of the m/other tree," the New York City premiere of an immersive new theatrical ceremony from playwright, director, and choreographer Ebony Noelle Golden that explores the journey of climate reparations through multi-disciplinary performances in the streets of Harlem and at Apollo Stages at the Victoria.
Conceived and curated by Golden and featuring the Jupiter Performance Studio, this three-part series of ritual performances, processions, and visual installations invites audiences to experience the intersection of art, activism, and spirituality. "I have been profoundly quickened by the creation of this offering," said Golden. "I am immensely grateful for my East Texas and rural Louisiana ways of living and loving. Our connection to the divine, our food, our conjure, our soil song, our dance are my inheritance. May my elders, teachers and ancestors be pleased and may all who witness 'The Divining: Ceremonies from in the name of the m/other tree' be lifted up."
"We are honored to have this deeply prescient production as part of our Apollo New Works program, and to work with our partner, the National Black Theatre, to provide an incubation space for Ebony and her genre-defying, boundary-pushing work," said Apollo Executive
Producer Kamilah Forbes. "This is what the Apollo is about: providing space for artists to challenge themselves and expand their practice. By allowing them to take risks they wouldn't otherwise be able to take, we are fostering and cultivating new lines of inquiry, pulling a new
narrative thread from the diasporic tangle of the Black experience."
The New York premiere took place outdoors throughout Harlem and on the Apollo's Stages at the Victoria. Performances continue this weekend at the Victoria on Saturday, Sept. 21, and Sunday, Sept. 22. Performances are free and open to the public. RSVPs are open at apollotheater.org/event/the-divining .
